I've always been partial to soft gingerbread vs. crunchy, and these melt in your mouth. Possibly my favorite Christmas cookie to make. They're easy, and you can make them as big or small as you want. I've made them bite-size before and they're perfect for a holiday party. I swear by the white chocolate chips, but you can swap in anything you'd like.

Everyone has a chocolate-loving wino in their family, right? Oh yeah—I think they're called women. These combine every girl's two favorite things. Admittedly I haven't made these yet, but will be making them this year. These would make a perfectly festive yet decadent gift for friends and family.

These are a year-round staple in our house. I've never had anything like them—they're amazing. A soft, chewy chocolate-marshmallow cookies oozes over a graham cracker for the perfect s'more bite every time. Toasted marshmallow is the perfect taste element for fireside hangouts.

Monday, December 16, 2013

Hello again, Monday. You are usually not my friend, but since we're in holiday-countdown mode, I'll be nice.

Our Christmas cards were made and sent last week, and picking just one photo was pretty impossible. I guess we could have sent out a couple designs, but I'm an uncomplicated girl and that just seemed unnecessary. So here are some of our favorites and a few outtake shots from our little shoot with my talented pal Jenna Hunger. I'm still totally obsessed with Jim's red + navy plaid — a little more unexpected but still so perfectly Christmasy.

Getting a dog to smile and say cheese requires a three-ring circus of treats and squeaky toys, but we finally got the right shot of the three of us.

So this was the winner. Thank you, Cooper, for finally understanding what I mean when I say "vogue!" (just kidding).

Hope you guys have a short week ahead, full of gift wrapping and cookie baking! I'll be back on Wednesday with my go-to Christmas cookie recipes. You won't want to miss every delicious bite!

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Recently, I had the pleasure of creating a custom print for the lovely Kayla Coleman's wedding. She wanted a fun, cute tooth for their guests to sign as they united as the Toothakers—isn't that so cute? We incorporated their wedding colors into the print and left the tooth blank for signatures.

Kayla wanted the print to be the first thing guests see when they enter their home, and recently shared this photo with me of the final result. The frame she chose is beautiful and I love this cute vignette in their home! The print was printed and framed by Canvas on Demand, and the photo is credited to Kayla, who is an amazing photographer herself.

Thank you, Kayla, for giving me the opportunity to create something special for you! I love hearing how couples are adding personalized touches to their weddings. What are some of the cutest things you've seen lately?

Monday, December 9, 2013

Today I'm super excited to share a giveaway, and introduce you all to Pattern Pod! Pattern Pod offers affordable, modern pattern designs for you to use to decorate your home, enhance your DIY projects, or customize your everyday accessories. You can use sites like Zazzle or Spoonflower to create whatever products you've dreamed up.

With the holidays coming up, Pattern Pod and I would like to give one reader a head-start on their gift wrapping by offering one winner a free pattern and a $25 gift card to Spoonflower, to be used towards a roll of premium wrapping paper or an item of their choice. Spoonflower's wrapping paper comes in either a satin or matte finish, and is a beautifully weighted stock (which prevents that pesky present peek-through you get with cheaper stocks).

Above are a ton of ideas on how to apply patterns to your decor and accessories. I know you fellow pattern lovers agree when I say there's nothing better than perfectly executed pattern mixing!

SO - for the fun part. Starting today, enter below by completing some or all of the entry options. One winner will be announced Friday, 12/13 here on the blog. From there, we'll get in touch and get you what you need to start wrapping!

Good luck!

*Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Pattern Pod. I received one prize for myself and one prize to give away. As always, opinions are my own and promotions are shared because I, too, love the products.a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, December 2, 2013

I am trying not to get overwhelmed by holiday deals, but really...how can I help myself when a 50% off sale is happening? But I digress...

Now that the turkey and stuffing has settled, it's totally time for Christmas mode. We put our tree up on Friday and didn't waste any time decorating—I've never decorated so early, but I think having Thanksgiving so late made me ready to move on to the holiday season.

I'm happy to have a collection of hand-painted ornaments up in the shop, as well as on display in Made in the 216. They're all delightfully simple and have gold metallic details—and the monograms especially make for a great gift topper. I plan on using them to personalize gifts for friends.

Have you started shopping and decorating yet? Are you totally feeling the holiday love this year?